Background. In 1999, EPA Region 1, the Massachusetts
Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, and The Gillette Company jointly
launched the Massachusetts Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership,
the first CWRP chapter in the nation. The first CWRP project restored
of 40 acres of the Sagamore Salt Marsh in Bourne.

Partner Contributions. Besides donations of
time and money, companies donate technical and legal expertise, project
services, and equipment to the variety of tasks required in restoration
work, such as field surveys, hydrologic modeling, engineering, and construction
activities (excavation, channel and culvert work, design of fish passages).
CWRP participants directly assist local project sponsors, often municipalities
or environmental organizations, that strive to revitalize the state’s
wetland heritage, re-open former fish passages, and increase the biodiversity
in these highly productive natural areas. CWRP companies are part of
the project team, which includes state and federal restoration program
professionals. CWRP companies also arrange aquatic habitat educational
opportunities for local students in conjunction with the state and federal
agency partners, and organizations such as the New England Aquarium.

Benefits. The benefits of company participation
include, first and foremost, the valuable habitat restoration itself,
tangible community improvements, demonstration of environmental as well
as social stewardship, as well as publicity and recognition for those
that helped the project succeed. For the employees, it offers an opportunity
to be identified with a conservation program that advances biodiversity
close to home. The value of the donation, whether in-kind or cash, are
tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

Contacts and Links. For information on where
your company can make a difference, contact Leo Pierre Roy, MA CWRP
Chair; Tel. 617.607.2146; E-mail: lroy@vhb.com. Links to descriptions
of wetlands and aquatic habitat restoration projects:
http://www.mass.gov/der

For more information about the MA CWRP, please contact
the MA CWRP State Lead: Leo Pierre Roy